She Likes Me Better
by GinStan
Summary: Miranda and Andy finally get around to discussing their feelings for each other. One Shot, stand alone story. Femslash


**She Likes Me Better**

by Gin

Miranda sat at the table quietly. The other diners in the restaurant blithely went about their business as evidenced by the occasional clink of silverware against china and the low murmur of conversations swirling around Miranda's exceptional hearing. They were completely unaware that as she waited for her order to arrive she was perfectly content to simply sit and look at her dining companion, also sitting quietly, to her right. Andrea. The name floated through her mind softly. She had to fight to keep from smiling.

They had been dancing around each other for weeks now, but she knew how she felt and she suspected Andrea reciprocated those feelings as well. She had been meaning to find the time to discuss the situation with her intriguing assistant but things were just so busy with the magazine, with the divorce. This opportunity suddenly presented itself and Miranda was fully prepared to take advantage of it. The new designer they were scheduled to see after dinner, was probably upstairs in this very hotel making himself a nervous wreck over the designs he wanted to show her. Little did he know that it didn't matter, she would know at a glance if she would want to see more, and would dismiss him quickly in order to make the time to speak with Andrea. She pulled herself out of her thoughts when the server arrived with their meals. A few moments later an unwelcome guest arrived as well. She blinked as he sat next to her, across from Andrea, uninvited and the tone of her not quite greeting, more of an acknowledgment really, reflected that. "Stephen. What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see what had gotten you so frantic this evening." The man smiled a sort of sickly smile then looked over at Andy. "She seemed very excited to go out tonight. She never got that excited to go out with me."

"Stephen..." Miranda's low voice began as a warning to the man, but Andrea cut in smoothly.

"I guess she just likes me better than she likes you." Andy smiled her million watt smile at the man then turned it on Miranda who was just staring at her.

Shaking her head, Miranda let out a small bit of a chuckle. "Considering the divorce was final today, I would say that is a true statement." She cast a suspicious look at Andrea and continued. "However, tonight is business and it's much easier for Andrea to be here now then accompany me to the new designer's showing than trying to coordinate when my meal would be complete and having her meet me after."

Andy chimed in, "The meeting is upstairs in the designer's room. Are you going to follow us there too?"

"Ah... so... Runway, again." Stephen made a scoffing sound. "You will never learn will you? Work destroyed our marriage."

"There were many reasons for that particular failure, Stephen." She acknowledged, "My work and your work were both contributing factors."

"Awww... C'mon, Mira. We had some good times, didn't we?" He scooted a bit closer. "How about one more try, for old times sake? Hmm..." He looked around and vaguely up. "Not at this dump though... let's go home."

"My home is off limits to you, it has been since we separated." She sniffed rather haughtily. "The only reason you were there this evening was to pick up the last of your things." She had made sure he had left before she had, unwilling to allow him free access to the house. The girls were away at their father's this weekend which was the only reason she had agreed to meeting the new designer this evening. Normally, since the separation, she had been spending the weekday evenings with her children, even Friday evenings. She understood that was Andrea's doing, since the duty of maintaining her schedule fell under the assistant's job description, and glanced over to see her primary dinner companion's eyes filled with rage. Miranda realized the anger was due to the man's encroachment on her personal space.

She held Andrea's gaze and spoke in her usual low tone. "Andrea, make sure the designer is ready when we arrive." When Stephen moved closer and started to interrupt Miranda's lips only quirked slightly as she never took her eyes off of Andrea, but her left arm and hand moved faster than any of them had anticipated. Miranda licked her lips as Andrea's eyes became wide and round. She could only imagine the expression on Stephen's face, and continued her orders as if she was not currently, non-nonchalantly, holding a knife at Stephen's throat. "I do not wish to be disappointed."

Andy nodded, the absolute terror on Stephen's face was comical, but the knife at his throat was very real. She was relieved to note that it wasn't a sharp knife, but still the threat was there. Miranda had found the exact spot on his neck, without even looking, if the knife had been sharp and the pressure had been even slightly more his carotid artery would have been neatly severed. It would have also had to have been above his collar, instead of below it. Choosing to make no mention of the not so implied threat, Andy merely nodded and answered the only way she could. "Yes, Miranda."

Stephen slowly moved away and Miranda removed the utensil from his throat as she spoke to him in no uncertain terms. "Go home. To your home, or your mistress', or wherever you can find. You will not be returning to my home again, ever."

He rubbed his neck where the knife would have touched had it not been under the collar of his shirt. "You think that's the way to get what you want in the divorce?"

Rolling her eyes, Miranda shook her head. "Oh for God's sake, Stephen, it was a butter knife, and the divorce is final."

"Still." He wasn't sure anyone else in the restaurant would have seen the action, especially since it had been so brief, and hidden by his collar but he looked at Andy. "I have a witness. I can take you back to court."

"You don't want to use me as a witness." Andy warned him. "The judge will get an earful of exactly how you've treated Miranda for the last few years, including tonight. You'll be lucky to walk away with the shirt on your back after that."

Miranda chuckled and raised an eyebrow at Stephen. "I believe she likes me better than she likes you." With the barest of winks at Andrea, Miranda considered the divorce. "However, I also believe our agreement of what is mine is mine and what is yours is yours is acceptable and not subject to change."

His face reddened she had considerably more wealth than he did and the pre-nuptual agreement they had both signed had made any sort of negotiating a moot point. Knowing he couldn't do anything about the rage he was currently feeling he stood, slamming his hands on the table and knocking over his chair as he stomped out of the restaurant.

The server immediately appeared and set the chair upright. "Is there a problem, Ma..Miranda?" He had worked here long enough to know Miranda's preferred nomenclature but had not waited on her enough for it to be natural, yet. They were all trained to use Sir and Ma'am as a rule.

Waving her hand at that, Miranda gestured in the general direction Stephen had left. "No, no... he was just upset about a personal matter." She changed the motion of her hand indicating the food in front of her. "The meal is delicious as always. Compliments to the chef." They spent another few minutes in silence while they cleared a good portion of their plates then the server reappeared.

"I spoke to the manager regarding the unpleasant man. She has told me that your meals are on the house with her apologies. He has been escorted from the property and will not be allowed in here as a customer or in the hotel as a guest again."

"Thank you." Miranda inclined her head graciously then spoke to Andrea. "I believe it's time for us to meet that designer, yes?"

Andy checked her watch and nodded. "Yes." She looked at the server and smiled, not quite her million watt smile, but close enough that it caused him to smile back. "Thanks."

He merely bowed. "All part of the job, Ma'am."

Andy fidgeted as they rode the elevator up and exhaled softly as she raised her hand to knock on the appropriate door. "I have to tell you something, Miranda."

Miranda focused on her companion and waited.

"There isn't a designer." Andy's eyes softened, then she knocked and the door opened.

Miranda watched as the man exiting the room handed Andrea a key card and hugged her. She heard the whispered. "Good Luck" and "Thanks, Dougie." before he nodded once to her and walked quickly down the hall and around the corner. "What..."

Andy sighed and gestured Miranda into the room, closing the door firmly behind them. "I didn't know what else to do, Miranda." She put the key card down on the dresser and wrung her hands together nervously. "We need to talk."

"Ah..." Miranda nodded. "Quite clever of you." She gestured to the door. "A friend of yours, I assume."

"Yeah." Andy smiled softly. "He's a good friend."

"So if Stephen had accompanied us up here..." Miranda's eyes narrowed. "How did you know he would show up tonight?"

"I didn't. Dougie just got the room for me and I told him to wait inside until we got here to get the key. If anyone else had been with us he would have gone into a huge routine about how the airline had lost his designs..." She stopped talking at Miranda's upraised hand.

"Enough." She settled into the cushioned chair and folded her hands over her stomach. "We are here now, so... talk."

Rolling the desk chair close enough so that when she sat her knees nearly touched Miranda's, Andy leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. "You were right." She smiled and reached out, laying her hands over Miranda's surprisingly warm ones. "I do like you better than I like him." She saw Miranda's blue eyes widen slightly and nodded. " I like you better than I like anyone else." She curled her fingers around Miranda's hands. "I don't see that changing anytime soon."

Pulling her hand away from Andrea's, Miranda lifted it to gently stroke Andrea's cheek with the back of her fingers. Exhaling quietly at the softness there, "You are an exquisite creature." She shifted her hand and cupped the younger woman's jawline. "You were also correct. I do like you better than I like him." She smiled and a shiver went through her as Andrea moved into her caress. "There are only two people on this Earth that I can say for certain equal you in my affection."

Turning her head, Andy placed a gentle kiss on Miranda's palm. "I'll share with the girls." She felt bold and placed another kiss on Miranda's wrist. "But that's as far as I go in the sharing department." She felt Miranda's fingers threading through the hair and she gave in to the pressure at the back of her neck allowing herself to be pulled forward until Miranda's lips captured hers for a long moment.

"I count myself lucky that you do not have children, Andrea." Miranda sighed and indulged in another long exploratory kiss. "I do not believe I would be able to share you, even with them." She sighed again as the realities of this mutual affection became clear. "You can no longer work for me." With one hand still firmly entangled in Andrea's hair, Miranda brought her other hand up to brush her fingertips lightly along her plump lips. "Not if this is going to have any chance of being... long term." Now her fingers traced the smile under them.

"I will love you forever, Miranda." Andy kissed the fingertips on her mouth and informed her. "My resignation is on your desk, dated today."

"Wh...Bu..." Miranda pulled away slightly. "How did..."

"Miranda," Andy reached out to hold Miranda's slightly shaking hands again. "Either way this turned out, I would not have been able to work for you anymore." She lifted the hands in hers up and kissed the knuckles that weren't her own. "I'm glad it worked out this way."

"Me too." Miranda stood, bringing Andrea up with her. She slid her arms around the slender woman and closed her eyes at the comfort of their embrace. This was different than she had ever felt before and Miranda knew this was it. Andrea was the one for her. "This won't be like the others Andrea. My former husband's... I never... I didn't..." She shook her head. "I won't allow you to leave me."

"I won't leave." It was a promise and both women knew it.

"I am not an easy person to love, Andrea." Miranda warned her. "There will be times when I.." Her speech was halted by long fingers pressing against her mouth.

"I know." Andy smiled as Miranda kissed her fingers. "I have worked for you, for nearly two years. I know you as well as or better than your husbands ever did. I know what I'm getting into."

"And yet you willingly do it anyway." Miranda laughed. "People will assume you are mad."

Shaking her head, Andy's eyes sparkled. "Not if they really knew you, or if they ever heard you laugh like that."

Brushing Andrea's hair away from her shoulders, Miranda laughed again. "You are marvelously ridiculous." She could feel herself smiling and was amazed at how, free, she felt. Her divorce was final and her long unaddressed feelings were definitely reciprocated. The policies at work were a moot point with Andrea's resignation. There was nothing to stop them from being together. Her daughters smiling faces flashed through her mind and she stiffened. It was slight, but in their current position Andrea felt it.

"Miranda?" She sat them both down on the end of the bed. "What's wrong?"

"I..." Miranda looked apologetic. "I'm not sure how the girls are going to feel about this..."

"Ah." Biting her lower lip, Andy cringed slightly and informed her future lover. "They're um... all for it." She watched Miranda slowly blink, once. "Because, I didn't want them to be surprised and I kinda needed their help..." She pointed to the closed closet. "There's a suitcase in there, with a change of clothes for you and there is also a pair of your pajamas. The girls gave them to me last night, when I delivered the Book." She grinned. "There's a robe in there for you too."

"But..." Miranda was amazed and a little suspicious. She moved away from the other woman. "You planned for us to stay here tonight?"

"Not, exactly." Andy ran her fingers through her hair. "I just wasn't sure how it was going to go." She shrugged. "I figured that if you turned me away I could go home and you could stay here if you wanted... in which case you would need pajamas and a change of clothes. Or if you stormed out, horribly insulted, then I could stay here and lost weekend it before I returned your things to your house by courier. Or, if you stayed with me then you would need a change of clothes."

"And pajamas." Miranda added.

"Weeeellll..." Andy inched closer and traced Miranda's forearm with her fingertips. "Maybe not pajamas so much..."

Tilting her head to observe Andrea's quiet smile, Miranda agreed. "Perhaps not." She also shifted incrementally closer. "So, what time is checkout tomorrow?"

Andy grinned. "It's at noon." She moved to press herself against her former boss, "but not until Sunday. I have the room for two nights."

"Hmmm..." Miranda bent to nibble on Andrea's earlobe and whispered. "What oh what shall we do with all that time..."

"I'm pretty sure I can think of a few things." Andy threaded her fingers through Miranda's iconic hair and held her in place, shivering in delight as Miranda's voice again burred in her ear.

"You always were quite resourceful." Miranda placed delicate kisses along Andrea's neck, something she had been aching to do for several weeks now. "Remind me to set a standing reservation for an annual weekend here. Our Anniversary, so to speak."

Andy nodded slightly, not wanting to disrupt Miranda's access to her neck. "Remind me to remove the knives from the Room Service trays..."

Now Miranda pulled away and laughed, a full bright laugh. "I can't believe I even did that!"

Andy echoed the laugh. "You should have seen his face! He was terrified." She wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes. "He was lucky it was just a butter knife and not a steak knife."

"I just grabbed the first thing I could." Miranda admitted.

"I know!" Shaking her head she smiled brightly. "The steak knife was right there! He's lucky."

"He's nothing." Miranda pushed Andrea's shoulders slightly, blue eyes glittering at the ease with which the younger woman stretched out on the bed. "We aren't going to talk about him any more, are we?"

"No Miranda." Andy held out her arms in welcome and exhaled softly when Miranda fit herself so perfectly next to her.

This was right.

This is where they belonged.

A small part of her mind agreed with Miranda's previous statement. It wouldn't be easy. The larger part of her mind focused on what was happening right now and she knew that no matter how hard it would get, it would be totally worth the effort.

Miranda found a particularly sensitive spot and Andy couldn't help crying out, causing renewed efforts on Miranda's part.

Andy focused on the sensations and had one last thought before her ability to concentrate on anything else was taken away completely.

Totally worth it.

End.

9/14/19


End file.
